Flood Forecasting & Monitoring

Case Study: The DESWAT Project

Romania’s rivers, mountains, and rolling hillsides contribute to a unique environment that makes flood forecasting and water management a constant challenge. Over time, flooding events have resulted in the loss of human life and millions of dollars in economic damage.

Commissioned by Romania’s Apele Romane water authority and the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, the DESWAT (DEStructive WATers) project is the second in a three-phase implementation plan to modernize Romania’s capabilities for detecting, monitoring, and predicting meteorological and hydrological phenomena though a fully integrated water management solution.

Baron provided the technology for DESWAT data acquisition, modeling, integration, and redistribution. Due to the country’s relatively large surface area and varied terrain, data collection and processing are distributed across a multi-tiered network. Each tier of the network, ranging from national level to subbasins approximately 5,000 square kilometers in size, receives relevant basin collection and validation data for display and distribution. In all, data from the DESWAT installation will be sent to 36 local sub-basin hydro service stations, 11 regional basin hydro service centers, and the central offices for National Forecast Operations and the Apele Romane water authority.

DESWAT has resulted in a complete hydrologic observation system, along with detection and integration capabilities made available from the initial SIMIN deployment, tied together to observe and provide flooding guidance and early warning for Romanian hydrological and meteorological authorities.